I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

I thought this book was absolutely brilliant! The title is very clever.

Becca's daughter, Mia, keeps having episodes of violent illness but no one knows why or is listening to Becca.

I changed my mind so many times about who I thought it could be, but never guessed the ending!

My favourite quote:
"On social media its like talking to yourself really."

Publication date: TODAY!

Well holy shoot, this book was a total roller coaster that had me second guessing every single character!

Becca is married to Dean, who are parents to 3 year old Mia. Once Mia starts to become sick, Becca is sure someone is poisoning her. Suspicions turn to her child carer, husband, sister, father and even Ex Boyfriend, though she’s so run down, she even questions if it’s her that may be behind it.

Normally I pick up clues and work out the twists early but this book had me guessing and second guessing until the very end! A fantastic page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. All reviews are of my own honest opinion.

Twisted doesn’t even begin to describe this one.

Honestly, I read so many psych thrillers that it takes a lot to get one completely over on me. But this one did. Not only did the author have me going on several fronts, she also had me convinced that I had outsmarted her and knew who it was from the beginning.

I was wrong. Well done.

The reader knows from the prologue that something nefarious is going on in Becca’s life. We then immediately skip back to 2.5 weeks earlier to where it all began. But as events unfold, we find out that things began even further back than this.

The author did a fantastic job of plotting. As Becca succumbs to the pressures of life, her long-held doubts come to the forefront making her question her own sanity. In turn, this makes the reader question Becca’s trustworthiness as a narrator. It was effective, because I never knew if she was truly a victim or if she was bringing it on herself.

Becca’s past job experience also plays heavily in the plot, which was another great aspect. As situations worsen, so does Becca’s perspective. She keeps trying to do the right thing, but her past keeps passively working against her.

Except for when it comes to Connor, the titular ex-boyfriend. This was perhaps one of the most effective plot threads. Everybody has “the one that got away,” and in times of stress it would be natural to think about “what might have been.” It’s easy to look at the past through rose-colored glasses.

Somebody close to Becca knows this and uses her uncertainty and unhappiness to prey on her family in the worst possible manner. Is it the ex-boyfriend who wants her back? The husband she suspects of cheating? Or somebody else?

No way in hell am I going to give anything away on this one. The twists keep right on coming, literally up until the very last chapter.

If I had any complaint at all, and this is nitpicking, it would be that one of the last twists was never really explained and the follow-through on it wasn’t as plausible as the rest of the story. That, and one character’s actions were never fully addressed.

But those are minor compared to overall arc, as it was well-written and definitely a page turner. By far, one of the best ones I’ve read this year. You do NOT want to miss out – go get it now!

I enjoyed this psychological thriller as it was easy to read and intriguing.
Becca Thornton is a district nurse living in Llandudno, North Wales, with a past she would rather remain hidden. She also happens to be going through a troubled phase in her marriage to Dean who seems less interested in his wife and more interested in his business. Or is he more interested in his business partner Alice?
Becca seems plagued by worries and guilt, in the way that many working mothers are, juggling her part-time nursing job with looking after her energetic three year old daughter Mia. Becca's Mum died a long time ago and there is only her sister Kate and Dad Frank to lean on, but Becca feels guilty because Kate is the one caring for Frank and Becca seems to think she herself isn't doing any of her roles justice. Is she a good sister, daughter, mother, wife? Or is she failing miserably?
There is Ruth, Mia's childminder in the picture as a usually reliable source of support, but in the tale of The Ex-Boyfriend Rona Halsall manages to cast serious doubt on many of the characters' motives and it isn't any wonder Becca becomes caught up in second guessing family and friends, uncertain whether there is anyone she can trust.
Just as Becca is feeling her most vulnerable, a long lost love from Australia, Connor Cywinski, gets in touch via Twitter. Becca is torn emotionally between her marriage and some wonderful memories of a relationship she thought would last forever. And at the same time Mia experiences frequent bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting which are brief but intense and prey on Becca's mind.
As Becca's marriage, work and personal life unravel at an alarming rate, the reader is misdirected again and again, left in turmoil and confusion, just like Becca and just like the harried Mum, I was desperate to get to the bottom of Mia's mystery illnesses.
I wasn't so keen on the ending, finding it a tad unbelievable and a bit too neat, hence the 4 stars, but overall I think The Ex-Boyfriend is an enjoyable read that I would recommend to others. I will also be certain to read more of Halsall's thrillers, satisfied I have now found a new author to add to my list of favourites.

This was a great book. Twisty and generally fast paced (with a slightly slower pace in the middle) and characters that I just didn't know who to trust! I was questioning them in every chapter! Just when you think you figured it out, wham! Another twist!

I am starting to think of myself as something of a Rona Halsall veteran having now read three of her other books - The Honeymoon, One Mistake and Her Mother's Lies. I was so impressed with this outstanding psychological thriller! The premise of The Ex Boyfriend beckoned to me and I knew that I had to read this novel.

In The Ex-Boyfriend, district nurse Becca is married to workaholic Dean and the busy couple have a lovely daughter, Mia. One day, Becca receives an unexpected message from her first love Connor who's in Australia. She knows that she shouldn't reply to his tweets but decides that it will do no harm as he is on the other side of the world. As Becca's load becomes ever greater - Dean is spending even more time working, Becca is looking after her lively three-year-old, and the demands of her job, albeit part-time, are increasing - she knows she still has feelings for Connor but is determined to put her marriage first. Then Mia starts to suffer from periodic bouts of illness... but why?

With her particular brand of style and flair, Rona Halsall wowed me with this classy psychological thriller. The author really excels with this type of novel that explores toxic relationships. It was a well-written story and the plot execution was tremendous, as was the characterisation, and pacing. There were no disappointments and it had abundant twists and turns, keeping me fully engrossed in occurrences and events. There were many suspects, each potentially having a different motive, and it was exciting to try to figure out who the culprit might have been, whilst realising that nobody could be trusted.

The story was told mostly from the perspective of Becca, across different timescales, and was jammed full of 'lowbrow' topics - family drama, mental instability, and affairs, among others. As events and clandestine behaviours began to manifest, the fabulous formula of Rona Halsall kept me on the edge of my seat. The Ex Boyfriend was everything I wanted in what was a pretty special psychological thriller, and I enjoyed how things played out in the surprising finale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book opens with a slice of domesticity: a frazzled wife, an overworked husband, a sickly child, with plenty of eyes that widened and narrowed, faces that crumpled, cringed and continually frowned while everyone folds their arms across their chest. A plethora of dry, mundane backstory including the hot ex-boyfriend from Australia who was the perfect free spirit. Then he pops up on Twitter and takes our heroine back to a fantasy in her head.

This is very much how it is until half-way through. Then the story begins with suspicions about why the toddler is ill all the time. A family secret, which is easy to guess, is often referred to and off-page arguments make the text repetitive. Everyone is in the frame at some point and the one whodunnit is a surprise, and an unrealistic one at that. The ending is a little far-fetched and overly romantic.

Billed as a psychological thriller, this book is neither. There is some reference to mental illness but the story is a family saga with issues such as childcare, taking care of elderly relatives, work-life balance and family dynamics as the main themes. Easy to read and not unpleasant.

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Rona Halsall's twisty domestic thriller THE EX-BOYFRIEND.

I must say, I was hooked from the very beginning despite the book's slow pace, so much so I read it in one sitting! It kept me up till gone 3am and I wasn't putting it down till I knew the outcome. THE EX-BOYFRIEND begins as a slow burn that builds up to an exciting twisted climax...leaving you breathless by its end. It covers mental illness, exploring the controversial issue of Factitious disorder imposed on another or FDIA (most commonly known as Munchhausen by proxy) interwoven with grief, narcissism and a whole web of complex relationships.

The focal point of this emotionally charged thriller is Becca, whose emotions are thrown into chaos when her ex-boyfriend Connor contacts her via Twitter. He was her first love, her best friend...the man she probably would have ended up with had life not taken a twist.

Ten years ago, Becca was the focus of an investigation at the hospital where she worked as a nurse after a series of incidents that put patients' lives at risk was linked to each of her shifts. Having been suspended with fingers pointing in her direction, Becca ultimately had a breakdown and at the behest of her friend Tina who had emigrated to Australia, Becca packed herself off on a holiday down under to refresh and recharge. It was there Becca met Connor, carefree spirit who did nothing but travel and surf. He was her best friend, her confidante, her lover. But with her biological clock ticking, Becca wanted to settle down and Connor just wanted to live free.

Then Becca received word that her mother had died so she flew back to the UK with the promise that she will return in a month. But nothing prepared Becca for the care her father needed at the loss of his lifelong partner...and Becca felt she couldn't leave him.

The day of her mother's funeral Becca meets Dean, the two begin dating and she soon finds herself pregnant. Dean has always wanted a family with children and so they marry and plan a life together. But Becca miscarries...again and again and again. By her fourth pregnancy, she is so worried about losing her baby she doesn't have time to enjoy the glow of pregnancy. And then Mia is born. Beautiful, sweet, adorable "mini me" Mia.

Now ten years after her return to the UK, Becca is working part time as a district nurse while Dean is busy building up his business. Disheartened by the fact that she never sees Dean anymore and when he is home he's not really present, Becca feels lost and lonely although 3 year old Mia keeps her busy.

So when Becca sees Connor pop up on her Twitter feed, she begins to reminisce about the those days wrapped in Connor's love. She sees no harm in responding to him and before long a conversation ensues where Connor confesses he has never stopped loving her. Becca begins to wonder what life might have been like had she returned to Australia. Would she and Connor have picked up where they left off? With many fond memories of those days, Becca can't help but feel like she needs someone to confide in...and Connor had been her best friend. And now he seems to want to know everything about her life.

One day after her childminder drops a bombshell on her that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, Becca ropes her sister Kate in to watch Mia while she works. Kate is none too pleased but acquiesces reluctantly. Though Mia hates the car and screams protest at the mere idea of travelling in one, Becca manages to bundle her up and drive her the half hour away to her dad's place where Kate also lives. Her dad adores Mia and his face lights up upon seeing her and the two trundle off to get into mischief.

That night, Mia is violently ill as Becca spends the night changing and washing bed linen and bathing her little girl. The next morning, she is fine. Becca suspects a 24 hour bug but a couple of days later the same thing happens. Vomiting and diarrhoea and Mia crying in pain. Becca takes her in for blood tests, which come back clear. But whatever it is continues to plague Mia as she has several more attacks throughout the week, prompting Becca to do her own investigating. And then it hits her. Someone is poisoning Mia. But why?

But when Becca tries to get health professionals to take her concerns seriously, things go from bad to worse and suddenly Becca finds herself in the firing line. No one believes her and everyone suspects the worst of her. Becca has never felt so alone...she only has Connor to confide in.
But something isn't right. Things that he is saying Connor wouldn't normally say...but it has been ten years, right? Maybe he's changed. But can Becca trust him? Who else is there?

A compelling domestic thriller, THE EX-BOYFRIEND is a book where no one is exempt from suspicion. There are lies, secrets, deception and betrayal of the worst kind that keep you engaged right up to the end. And when the big reveal comes, the truth is more chilling and more sinister than Becca could have ever imagined. Without revealing the "who" I will say the person was my first suspect initally before I began looking at everyone else...for reasons I cannot divulge without spoiling it.

While the book began at a slow pace, it did hold my interest as I pondered where everything was going to fit in. But it wasn't until around 50% that it really picked up the pace and it was a race to the end from then on and I wouldn't rest until I had swiped the last page.

THE EX-BOYFRIEND is an intriguing nail biter of a read once it gets going that will have you engaged right up till the end. There are plenty of twists that keep you guessing with a complex web of secrets that make this a dark and thrilling read.

Another suspenseful read for fans of domestic thrillers.

I would like to thank #RonaHalsall, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheExBoyfriend in exchange for an honest review.

Rona Halsall really knows how to rock the domestic noir genre. This one is a beauty! Becca and Dean have a wonderful life. Dean’s new business is doing well and growing. Becca combines three half days of work community nursing with caring for their energetic three year old daughter Mia. Everything is wonderful - until it isn’t.

When you lift the lid on this simmering cauldron you find that Dean is spending more time than ever at work (and we all know what that means) while Becca is struggling with competing demands just when her child minder thinks she has cancer and her sister, Kate, demands a break from looking after their father who has never quite recovered from the death of his wife - Becca and Kate’s mother 10 years ago. So when she gets a Twitter message from Connor, the surfer who swept her off her feet 10 years ago while she was on sabbatical in Australia, she can’t help thinking “what if?”

But when Mia starts having inexplicable bouts of illness and people start to suspect Becca of causing it because wasn’t there a cloud over her all those years ago that led to a breakdown...and caused her to flee to Australia? Things go from bad to worse for Becca and she doesn’t know who to believe, or trust or indeed if she is really going insane. This twist, when it comes, well you may have been thinking it but it still slaps you in the face with its sheer horror. How well do you really know the people close to you? I really enjoyed this one! 4.5 stars rounded down. Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Rona Halsall for providing this copy. My opinions are my own.

Such a deep and twisted book. I loved it!! You will never guess what is about to happen next and the author tells an amazing story.

The main responsibility of any parent who genuinely loves their child is to raise and nurture them to the best of your abilities and the worst thing that you could ever be accused of is intentionally harming them in any way. Unfortunately there has been far too many cases were a child who was not being abused has been taken away from its loving parents due to suspected child abuse only for it to emerge later that the child was suffering from a medical condition. Then, at the other end of the scale are the cases of genuine abuse where a child is left with or returned to its abusers and is unfortunately killed. Usually after these terrible cases the authorities sprout the same old excuses and lessons will be learned nonsense but nothing ever changes. Our main character and narrator of this gripping domestic drama Becca finds herself trapped in every parents living nightmare after her young daughter is rushed into hospital. It's a horrible and very upsetting situation for a parent to find themselves in and I really tried to feel some empathy for Becca but sadly I just couldnt. There were times when she came across as rather self centred and selfish, a perfect example being her reaction when her child minder Ruth informed her that she wouldn't be able to take care of Mia anymore because she had been diagnosed with cancer. That said, after witnessing Becca's interactions with her workaholic, golf obsessed husband Dean, I could fully understand her obsession with her first love,free spirited surfer dude Connor. But was it just pure coincidence that Becca's apparently perfect life started to fall apart almost from the moment that Connor contacted her? Or was someone closer to home using a episode from her past for their own personal reasons? My favourite characters were poor little Mia and Ruth who I thought was a wonderful character. I can't say that I like Becca's sister Kate or their father very much for various reasons.

Rona Halsall is one of my favourite author's, her thrillers are always extremely well written and The Ex Boyfriend is no exception. Her words flow with ease, drawing the reader into her realistic and relatable characters fictional world. The plot covered a wide range of issues, held the reader's attention throughout and the identity of Becca's tormentor was a genuine shock. A brilliant read and highly recommended.

This is a difficult book to review without giving too much of the superb plot away, but believe me when I say that you will not figure this one out.

It starts with a totally arresting prologue, a snippet of what is to come. Becca's daughter is unwell, and all is not what it seems.

Her ex comes back into her life via social media, at a time when she's already feeling a bit dissatisfied with some aspects of her life.

There are so many layers to this clever plot. It really kept me guessing, and is a hard book to put down, or to forget.

A twisty and addictive domestic suspense thriller, I was totally absorbed by this book, and really recommend it. Yet another fabulous novel from this excellent author.

The Ex Boyfriend by Rona Halsall is a thriller that was so much more than the title and book synopsis lead me to believe it would be. With an unreliable narrator at the helm this one really seems to take a reader down two different paths with only one being obvious from the description.

Becca is married to Dean and the mother of a wonderful toddler, Mia. Becca and Dean have hit that spot in their marriage where it feels to Becca like she is a second choice to Dean’s budding career. Just at a time when Becca is beginning to wonder if Dean’s eye has wandered away from her Becca receives a message from her old flame, one that she had thought she would be with forever until life got in the way.

But just as Becca gets the flash of her past and questions where she is now in her life with her marriage Mia begins to become ill. What seems to come on quickly and disappear just as fast leads Becca to seeking medical advice. Being told it’s simply a bug doesn’t sit well with Becca and when the illness keeps coming back Becca becomes more and more worried.

The Ex Boyfriend is the type of book that you just can’t trust anyone or anything that is happening at the moment. With every turn of the page it seems like the story unpeals another layer and twists things even further making you question just where things will end up. By the time the end came with this one I had more than given up guessing and just went along for the ride waiting to find out the truth of it all and when that happens I always enjoy whatever comes my way.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Becca's marriage isn't going as well as expected. Her husband spends long hours away in building up his business, along with a new employee ... a very beautiful woman. There is quite a bit of travel involved, so is he having an affair?

Their 3-year-old-daughter is the apple of her eye. But it's sometimes rather exhausting, working as a nurse, even part-time, taking care of the household, and a very active young child with no help from her husband.

Becca's first boyfriend, her first love, shows up on her social media feed after a long time away. He seems the same ... they were also best friends and she could talk to him about anything. But it's been a long while .. and he's in another country, so can they just become friends again?

But Mia, their daughter, has a medical issue. Somewhere in Becca's past, she was accused of mistreating patients, mixing up their meds, giving incorrect dosages. When doctors examine Mia, they find that she has been poisoned. Mia is okay ... for now. So who's making her daughter ill ... who's tampering in her marriage?

Plenty of suspects ... her husband, but would he try to hurt the daughter he loves? Her childless sister .. does she want Her sister's daughter? Becca's friend and sometime babysitter ... who always calls Mia her little girl? Or is the ex-boyfriend lying ...and not in another country as he says? Could he be trying to make Becca pay for dumping him all those years ago? Or is it Mia herself?

This is a well-written, psychological thriller, filled with twists and turns that move faster than a roller coaster. The characters are deftly drawn ... and one or more of them are not exactly what... or who ... you think. It's fast-paced leading to a disturbing, unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Rona Halsell is a smart author and this novel hooked me in immediately with the story of young Mia, the daughter of Becca and Dean, constantly falling ill with a stomach illness Becca thinks could be poison. Who would poison her child? Suddenly the hospital, husband and family think that it's Becca who in turn suspects every family member as well as the babysitter. Becca married Dean when she was pregnant and on the rebound from Connor who she abandoned in Australia when her mother was sick. Now her child is sick and Connor is suddenly contacting her again professing his love. Becca is attempting to hold on to her fleeting sanity, knowing that the authorizes are judging her especially when they find out about a similar incident in her nursing career. We are in the middle of a deteriating marriage, a dysfunctional family, a father and sister twisting her like a pretzel, a distant husband and a sick child. Everyone is a suspect to Becca, and rightly so. She needs to save her child, but from who? The book moves at dizzying speed and I was as shocked to discover the villain as I was to discover I finished the book in two sittings.

The Ex Boyfriend by Rona Halsall caught me completely off guard! After reading the synopsis I dove in expecting one type of story and was pleasantly surprised when it took huge turn. The Ex boyfriend is without a doubt one of the most brilliant domestic thrillers that I have picked up in 2020!

Becca believes that she happily married to Dean. Together they share one miracle daughter named Mia. Things aren't perfect but they are about to get a lot worse. Becca's first love randomly shows up in her twitter feed and unleashes all sorts of doubts and uncertainties. To make matters worse, Mia suddenly and repeatedly gets sick without explanation. Becca begins questioning everyone and everything, but will the answer save her family or tear it apart?

This book is loaded with guilty pleasure topics, affairs, crazy family drama, mental instability, love triangles! It will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish! I highly recommend that you grab yourself a copy of this book and you can because it is officially published TODAY!!!!

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If your a huge fan of Rona's writing and read every single one as soon as it comes out, like I do, then you will know what to expect from a Rona tale.

You know you will get, twists that mess with your brain, you will get great characterisation, you will get suspecting every living thing in her books, and you will get hardly ever being right with your suspicions.

The Ex-Boyfriend is no different. Rona has this craft to always make me suspect the innocent bystander. Its happened many times in her previous books. Poor old Mike from Love You Gone was the biggest.

I loved how in this book, you don't only suspect everyone around Becca, but you suspect the main character herself. Is she actually deluding herself and its her all along? Well I wont tell you for thought of ruining the surprise and the twists that will take you on a roller coaster of a story, with mixed emotions and suspense.

I will anxiously be waiting for the next work of novel art from Rona!

This book has a subtitle describing it as addictive and shocking but I have to disagree with both of those- also it is categorized as a psychological thriller, which is very misleading. Instead, I would call this a family drama, dealing most with the unfolding family dynamics of a dysfunctional family that really never recovered from grief of a loved one dying. Sure, a few times a mental disorder (which is where the psychological aspect of the story I guess plays a role) is mentioned, but in actuality, there was almost no action and lots of tea drinking and cake eating. I was bored, could have cared less what happened, only continued on because I don't know how to stop reading a book.

Some parts of the story which potentially could have been interesting happened off the pages, and instead the reader gets a super dry recap of what occurred. Basically nothing happened on the pages at all, we never get to see any kind of confrontation or suspense, but a nice and neat summation at the end. Also, everything was wrapped up with a happy little bow, everyone gets their HEA- even when I didn't think they should. Overall, this was boring and a big let down for me and I don't recommend it if you want a thriller, shocks, or an addictive read.

Keep in mind that these are my views only, and it seems like lots of other people enjoyed this story, so if this premise sounds entertaining to you definitely give it a whirl. I will disclaimer though that I read this as a buddy read and my buddy was equally let down/disgruntled with the story.

What a twisted tale of love...or is it hate? This one kept me so immersed I couldn't read it fast enough! There are quite a few characters in this one but not hard to keep track of them as they are well developed and each has their own backstory. You never quite know who is to blame and it's a shocker once it's revealed!

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This is not a novel that I would categorize as a psychological thriller per se, more like a Lifetime movie in a book. This novel was good enough to keep reading, however, it was quite predictable and ended very much 'happily ever after' when some other situations logically would not be resolved that quickly and easily. I would not say this was a bad book because it was entertaining enough that I did finish it, however, it was rather predictable. It was also a good, easy read and something to get lost in if one needs something entertaining and not have to think too hard to get lost in. In addition, the title and hype seem very misleading.

This novel focuses on Becca and what is occurring in her life, her marriage, her workplace, and most specifically her daughter. She ends up hearing from an ex-boyfriend, potentially 'the one that got away' type situation, however, most of the novel really is about her family and not really this ex. It also was not that psychological or really thrilling, rather predictable and a very quick ending with everything wrapped up in a lovely bow. May be fantastic for some, was just okay for me.